It was another sobering final weekend for Leinster in the Champions Cup as Union Bordeaux-Begles destroyed their hopes of changing the recent narrative of European shortcomings.
Questions have been asked about the leadership and management of Leinster since their last victory in the competition in 2018.
This is now five finals where Leinster have failed to win their fifth title and pressure is mounting on Leo Cullen and other high-profile coaches like Jacques Nienaber.
Not only have Leinster recruited well with international superstars like Jordie Barrett and Rieko Ioane, Nienaber must have been the highest profile senior coach that any team has recruited.
The double World Cup winner was targeted as a man that could change their fortunes in the biggest competition, but once again, it wasn't to be.
Calling for the head of any coach isn’t the aim here.
Leinster have failed to succeed once again and that needs to be scrutinised. However, the context matters a massive amount.
The URC champions have been victims of their own developmental success with the majority of their senior squad earning international call-ups with nearly a full starting team of Lions with the addition of overseas internationals, including RG Snyman.
Their injury list didn’t help them, their bench wasn’t near as strong as they would be with their full complement, though you could say something similar for Bordeaux-Begles who were without two centres that could easily have started the game, particularly Nicolas Depoortere.
That’s the way the game goes.
The other aspect that Cullen has been fighting behind the scenes, and was clearly more frustrated with this year, is their contribution to not only the national team, but the Lions tour as well.
For large parts of the season, Cullen’s squad experienced enforced rest as part of the national player management protocols. The coaches must feel like they’re fighting with one hand tied behind their backs at times.
Not only that, they’re being stripped of players with the lure of game time in other provinces.
Supporting players like Will Connors and Ciarán Frawley are some of the highest profile players to be moving on.
Again, this is the impact of a successful development pathway, a national union that is trying to re-balance their financial contributions and the knock on effect is that Leinster now need to find a budget for their nationally contracted players because up to 30% of their contracts now need to be paid from the province’s budget.
On the pitch, it took a long while for some of their top players like Caelan Doris, Andrew Porter and Dan Sheehan to find their best form this season. None of them made any major impression on the final either.
It’s not through lack of effort or talent. They’ve been on the road a long time coming out of international tournaments, with a British and Irish Lions tour for the two front rows in between. It can’t but take its toll.
However, Cullen won’t get much sympathy for those problems.
Having so many top end internationals available is a privilege, not only on the pitch during matches, but to drive standards around their training ground, video analysis and various other off-pitch activities.
These are the same players that have experienced success at international level under Andy Farrell, as well as winning a Lions tour in Australia under the same head coach. Admittedly, they were always favourites throughout that tour.
If anything, Australia over-performed to make it slightly tougher for the British and Irish players, delaying their inevitable victory as opposed to challenging fully. Nevertheless, these players have found success under another coach.
That’s where my questions lie.
Has Leo Cullen (above) lost the ability to inspire and drive the best players in the country?
Does the coaching team have enough imagination to find another angle to get them over the line?
Their system has brought them this far, yet their structures and systems couldn’t compete with UBB last weekend.
It’s one of the most difficult aspects of coaching. Finding a fresh narrative to excite the players that have been there and done it. Uncovering a unique reason to push them once more must be a daunting challenge.
In the national squad, Farrell has come under pressure himself in the past.
He has answered every one of those questions with a renewed respect and even more credibility because of some of the results that Ireland have pulled off.
There have been tough days, like the opening round of last year's Six Nations. Not coincidentally, that was also against French opposition, a nation that is performing at club and international level.
South Africa undoubtedly edge them on the international stage, but no other nation is performing simultaneously in the club game at the highest level.
The question remains, how can the national team inspire these Leinster players to perform at a higher level when the club keep falling short?
There’s no doubt that something is missing. Maybe it’s the fact that Leinster have filled jerseys at national level and there’s a lingering hangover.
Consider the fact that many of the team won’t train together for stretches of the season.
Is the talent pool becoming weaker at Leinster? Have they simply underperformed with a generational team and disguised these shortcomings as unlucky losses to some of the world’s best club teams?
Leinster’s system is still producing professional rugby players at the highest rate of any academy.
At the same time, the next crop of players aren’t going to topple their world-class performers such as Doris, Josh van der Flier, Sheehan, Porter and others.
What’s coming behind them is a group of talented players, but will they get to world class level? I’m not so sure.
Leinster beating that Bordeaux Begles team was a long shot considering their inconsistent form this season.
This loss is merely heightened because of their past shortcomings in European competitions.
They certainly had enough to cause an upset in this final, but that’s what it would have been, despite their strengths.
Leinster weren’t inspired. Maybe there just wasn’t enough belief. Or maybe they’re simply not good enough currently to beat the best in Europe.
Could the coach change that? Probably. But, that’s a bit too reductive.
Can Leinster afford to keep doing the same thing? Success should be defined by more than trophies.
However, losing five finals in a row can’t be accepted for a team like Leinster and now is the time that something has to change.
